Sunday, April 25, 2021

The Sunday Post #271

 

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The Sunday Post is a chance to recap the past week, talk about next week, tell you what I’m reading, and share news. It’s hosted by The Caffeinated Book ReviewerReaderbuzz, and Book Date.

 

 

The Sunday Post #271

 

 

 

 

On The Blog Recently

 

 

 

 

 

In My Reading Life

 

I read Never Split The Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss. The author is a former hostage negotiator who teaches readers how to talk to strangers and get what they want out of the conversation. I learned a lot from the book. The author doesn’t pad the book with unnecessary fluff. He gets right to the point, gives clear examples, and uses bullet points to summarize the most important parts of each chapter. It’s an extremely readable guide that I can see myself referencing in the future. The author also tells stories of his time as an FBI hostage negotiator. I could not do that job. There’s too much pressure! The book mostly focuses on business negotiations where there is a lot of money at stake. Many of the author’s tips can be applied to any negotiation situation, but I wish he’d also talked about lower-stakes negotiations. I was hoping for more tips on dealing with difficult customers or family members. Even though the book didn’t give me everything I wanted, I’m eager to try out the author’s negotiation strategies.




Then I read Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield. It’s historical fiction set in a small town in 1800s England. An unconscious child is pulled out of a river. Three families come forward and claim that the child is their missing family member. Since the child can’t talk, the townspeople set out to uncover her secrets and find her real family. It’s an attention-grabbing mystery with a clever writing style. It’s a novel about storytelling. Each character tells their part of the story to the reader, and the reader is left to piece the puzzle together. As a result, the reader has to keep track of a lot of characters and plot threads. I have mixed feelings about that. The characters are intriguing people, but there are a lot of them, and their stories are detailed, which slows down the book’s pacing. I got impatient a few times. Once Upon A River is entertaining, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale. If you’re interested in the author’s work, start with The Thirteenth Tale!




Right now, I’m reading Not So Pure And Simple by Lamar Giles. I don’t have an opinion yet because I just started it. I hope it lives up to the hype. My blogger friends love it.




 

 

In The Rest Of My Life

 

Five things that made me happy recently:

 

  1. I’m fully vaccinated! I got my second COVID shot. The side effects weren’t too bad.
  2. Did you participate in Dewey’s Readathon? I didn’t get a ton of reading done because I kept falling asleep, but I still enjoyed it. Reading and sleeping are two of my favorite things.
  3. I met the kindest, happiest human ever. He’s a middle-aged military veteran with a German shepherd service dog. He overheard me getting verbally abused by an unhappy camper at work, and he came over to give me a pep talk and tell me I was doing a great job. He was sweet and had the best smile. Chatting with him made my day much better. I hope I see him again so I can thank him for being awesome.
  4. Bath bombs! I tried one that turned my bath water blood red. Floating in blood water is an unsettling experience, but it smelled like Christmas, so I didn’t care.
  5. I went to a restaurant. I hadn’t eaten inside a restaurant since January 8, 2020. The restaurant I went to was big and nearly empty, so I think it was safe enough. I really miss restaurants.

 

 

 

 

Let’s Be Friends

 

 

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Take care of yourselves and be kind to each other. See you around the blogosphere!







23 comments:

  1. I have loved my return to restaurants, slowly and carefully, now that we have been allowed out! I liked that there were lots of spaces between tables and that masks were worn...until we started eating, of course.

    I've been out four times so far! This may seem like a lot, but before the lockdowns, I went out once a week, at least.

    Enjoy your books and congrats on being fully vaccinated!

    Here are my WEEKLY UPDATES

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  2. I am eager to eat at a restaurant, but I don't feel that comfortable here since so many people refuse to get vaccinated. Sigh. I think I'll start by eating outdoors at my favorite Mexican food restaurant. With a frozen margarita.

    People who boost us up often don't realize how wonderful they are, I think. I'm sorry you run across so many grumps. I'm surprised, honestly. I expected more of us nature folks.

    I'll pass on Once Upon a River. Nope. Not for me.

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  3. Hi AJ! Loved your gif! Wha ha ha!!! Happy for you.

    I haven't read The Thirteenth Tale yet so I can't give comment. But I still want to!

    I took part in the readathon, first time and I loved it!!

    Hope you will have a good and fun week ahead.

    Elza Reads

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  4. Oh gosh you made me laugh with your floating in blood water. But I think I would have found that very weird too! And that's great that veteran helped you out! Now I haven't been to a restaurant since...September 2020. A long time too. Have a great week AJ!

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  5. I miss restaurants, too! We used to go quite a bit, so I guess this is better for our wallets? Glad to hear you got your second dose!

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  6. Yay for being fully vaccinated! We may brave a restaurant in the next few weeks. We have done take-out a few times. I didn't formally sign up for the read-athon but I did some reading.

    Anne - Books of My Heart This is my Sunday Post

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  7. Congrats on being vaccinated. A restaurant would be fun to visit ... sometime. I'm still just done with shot #1. So we shall wait. Have a great week.

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  8. Congrats on being vaccinated, and yay that your side effects weren't too bad! And that is so cool about the elderly gentleman who came over to you! Sometimes the right person just shows up at the right time, and can make all the difference.

    The blood red bath water made me laugh. :)

    Have a nice week!

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  9. I got my second vaccination a few weeks ago. It's a good feeling. There is another book by the name "Once Upon a River" by Bonnie Jo Campbell... It's set in Michigan and is a story of a young woman who is alone but makes a life for herself.

    https://fromarockyhillside.com

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  10. OH! I love the meme you posted! Your tone is your blog is lovely - friendly, inviting and fun! I added Never Split the Difference to my Want to Read list as it sounds intriguing. Thank you for sharing!

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  11. Oh I just loved reading about that military veteran. Great that you are fully vaccinated now. The negotiation book sounds like its got some good tips, yes sometimes family and friends are the most needed!

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  12. In order to encourage people to return to dining in restaurants our government has given every one one 18 a $50 voucher to spend at a participating restaurant (you have to eat in..no takeaway). I need to use mine soon before it expires.
    Congrats on being fully vaccinated;)

    Wishing you a great reading week

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  13. Lol at your bath water! Like an Elizabeth Bathory bath.

    Congrats on your vaccine!! I am fully vaccinated as well! I have not done anything different yet but I feel better about just going out in public. Lol.

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  14. My last indoor restaurant experience was March 2020 when my brother and I celebrated the purchase of my new car which currently has only 880 miles on the odometer. I never drove much but this pandemic has brought my driving to a new low. I do remember reading and enjoying The Thirteenth Tale but Once Upon a River sounds like more of a challenge than I want to face these days. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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  15. Glad to hear the vaccination went well. I am paranoid about mine. This gives me a bit of hope. Good for you getting out there. I hope the restaurant food was delicious, and I also hope you are enjoying Giles' book (I loved it!)

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  16. I have been to a couple of restaurants but I don't think that I enjoy going out to eat nearly as much as most people. Too much waiting around. Plus my daughter and husband have to eat gluten free so it can be stressful. I am glad that you didn't have too many side effects with your vaccine. I had a slightly sore arm for a day with my first dose and am hopeful that the second dose will go the same way. Have a great week!

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  17. I love that a stranger came over and made you feel better (and how awful that the other person was mean!). I still haven't ventured to a restaurant, but this Saturday I'll eat at one outside for the first time in over a year.

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  18. That stranger sounds fantastic. Boo to the rude customer though! Congrats on being fully vaccinated. That's wonderful. I wish I had a tub big enough to really use so I could have fun with bathbombs. Maybe one day!

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  19. I miss restaurants too!! I've cautiously gone to a few a handful of times since the pandemic started, but I still miss going to restaurants with friends without worrying as much as I do now.

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  20. That's wonderful about the man who came to give you a pep talk. What a kind person though I suspect anyone who spends all of their time with a dog can't help but be kind! I never understand why people rant at people who are just trying to do their jobs. I got my 2nd shot too! I had some side effects but totally worth it. Hope you have a great week.

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  21. Hope you are able to see that man again! I'm so glad shots are lowering the numbers and we are able to go out again!

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  22. Yay for being fully vaccinated! Oooh, I loved The Thirteenth Tale when I read it. I liked Once Upon a River too but agree that The Thirteenth Tale is much better.

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